Faculty Profile

Manuel Smeu joined Binghamton University's Department of Physics in the fall of 2015.
Before his appointment as an Assistant Professor, he was a postdoctoral fellow at
Northwestern University working with Prof. Mark Ratner and then he spent one year
at the Hydro-Québec Research Institute working with Dr. Karim Zaghib. Prof. Smeu obtained
his PhD in Physics from McGill University under the supervision of Profs. Hong Guo
and Robert Wolkow.

Research Overview:

Two technological problems that we are currently facing are the rapid approach to
the fundamental limits of Moore's law with the diminishing size of electronic devices,
and the tremendous need for energy storage, particularly related to energy coming
from renewable sources. Prof. Smeu's main research interests can be described as employing
computational methods to help address these issues.

Due to the shrinking size of electronic devices, their components are too small to
be described by Ohm's law, and quantum effects dominate their characteristics. A completely
different class of electronic devices is also under development, in which silicon
and metal are replaced with molecular analogs. These systems need to be studied at
the atomistic level (all atoms and their positions in a system must be known) with
techniques that account for the interactions between electrons at the quantum mechanical
level. Prof. Smeu's research group develops and employs methods such as the nonequilibrium
Green's function technique combined with density functional theory (NEGF-DFT) to investigate
the electron transport properties (current, conductance) of such systems. Some examples
of previous work by Prof. Smeu include studies on: the conductance of the metallic
surface of silicon: Si(111)-7×7, the graphyne molecular unit which could be used as
a field effect transistor (can turn it on/off), the current through dye molecules
which could be controlled with pH., mechanical control over the conductance of a single
molecule by distorting its shape or altering how it binds to electrodes. See publications
below for additional details.

Another area of research in the Smeu group involves energy storage. Li-ion batteries
are widely used today, particularly for portable devices and electric vehicles. However,
lithium is expensive and not as abundant as other metals that may also be used in
rechargeable batteries. While it is difficult to compete with Li in terms of weight,
alternative battery materials may be useful when portability is not a priority, such
as for home backup or grid storage. The Smeu group studies such alternative battery
technologies with computational techniques that allow for the prediction of voltage,
cycling characteristics, stability, and generally in determining ways to improve battery
materials.

Other areas of interest include surfaces and their electronic properties, chemical
reactions that occur at interfaces, and development of computational methods.

Research Group:

There are openings for highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students. There
is also one postdoctoral researcher position available. Interested candidates are
encouraged to contact Prof. Smeu.